Opera povera ensemble introduced a second part of their experimental project Echo – Metamorphoses, subtitled “All that connects sound and space can become an opera.” It was created by Rocc (*1979), Slovenian opera director and opera povera’s art director, and composer and musicologist Vít Zouhar (*1966). “Content-wise, we tried to return to the original inspiration of the very first … Read more
It has become a tradition for the Prague Orthodox music festival Archaion Kallos to provide space also for young contemporary composers. This (8th) year, it was Martin Klusák (*1987) and Jan Trojan (*1982). Their pieces, Pnoi for solo clarinet and video projection (Klusák) and Refractions – sound interventions (Trojan), were performed on October 22 at the Gallery of … Read more
The penultimate concert of the 7th International Music Festival of F. L. Věk was dedicated to Czech songs. They were performed on October 22 in the palace of Nové Město nad Metují by the legendary Czech bass Richard Novák and pianist Jaroslav Šaroun. A part of the concert was a world premiere of Psalm Songs by … Read more
The 49th year of Brno-based music festival Moravian Autumn commissioned a new piece by a great Czech composer Marek Kopelent (*1932). The premiere took place on October 16 in Besední dům’s concert hall as a part of the concert of Ensemble Berlin Prag. Amor vincit (“Love Conquers”) is a trio for soprano, oboe and cor anglais written on a medieval Latin … Read more
The 9th year of MusicOlomouc festival culminated on October 15 in the Atrium of Palacký University’s Art centre with a composer portrait of Ondřej Adámek. On the occasion, Adámek presented for the very first time his self-made musical instrument Airmachine, which has been enjoying success abroad, to Czech audiences. Airmachine 2 (thus already a second one he constructed) … Read more
The penultimate concert of this year’s MusicOlomouc contemporary music festival belonged to the Phace Ensemble (Austria). On October 9 in the Corpus Christi Chapel of the Art Centre of Palacký University, they performed five pieces including a premiere by Petr Bakla. Last Piece (Mostly stepwise) for clarinet/bass clarinet, violoncello and piano was written on the festival’s commission. The programme … Read more
The fourth concert of this year’s MusicOlomouc festival took place on October 8 in the Corpus Christi Chapel of the Art Centre of Palacký University. It introduced Lichtzwang, Olomouc-based chamber ensemble founded last year, joined by Hungarian pianist Nóra Füzi. The concert presented the premiere of a new piece by Ostrava-based “classical” cimbalom player and composer Daniel … Read more
The second day of MusicOlomouc festival offered a concert of German chamber vocal ensemble AuditivVokal Dresden. Its members, in the Atrium of Art Centre of Palacký University, performed a program consisting exclusively of 21st-century music, including the world premiere of Hláskopelní a špitocudní by pianist, composer and the festival’s director Marek Keprt (*1974). Keprt wrote it especially for this ensemble. During … Read more
The 9th year of Olomouc-based international contemporary music festival MusicOlomouc was started on October 2. Its second concert, held at the theatre hall of the Art Centre of Palacký University, introduced Aleph Gitarrenquartett, which is a guitar quartet specializing in new music. The ensemble performed, among others, the world premiere of František Chaloupka’s (*1981) Guitar Quartet No. 1 “The … Read more
A part of the 15th year of music and environment Baltic Sea Festival, which was held during the last week of August in Stockholm, was a world premiere of a new piece for choir by composer Martin Smolka. The Name Emmanuel was written on the festival’s commission and was performed on August 27 at the Berwaldhallen concert hall by the … Read more
